How I fixed the "clog from [censored]" in an Epson 2200

[drew]

Hi Norm,

Glad to hear you got your 2200 fixed. I had to toss one out a few years ago for this problem. I have an R800 I rarely use that seems to have decided not to spray out any yellow.

As far as the censored list. Yes, it is primarily an inherited list. I joked with Rob about how long it was when I saw it. Like all those crazy warnings on products (like hot coffee at McDonald's, etc.) I figured they must all be there because someone had posted them at some point over the last 6 years. After thinking about it a while I did add some more to it including some "lighter" ones.

I didn't have any words on the censored word list on the other board at all. I never really had any problem with it there either. Some of the words on this list are quite outlandish. I would publish it here for you to see but you bring up a good point; I really don't know what is or isn't allowed by the FCC, or whether I can be held liable for such things.

I will see about removing some of the lighter ones. People will probably just resort to using stars and symbols anyway.

Drew

[DennisLathem]

I have been very happy with my EPSON 2200P since I bought it almost four years ago. Yes, I have head clogs from time to time, but nothing serious. One thing I do is to leave the printer on all the time.

My challenge very soon will be cleaning/replacing the waste ink collection system.

I don't use it at much as I once did because we have a new COSTCO across the street and with their enhanced profile I get great enlargements at a fraction of the price of running the EPSON.

[AlanRew]

[ QUOTE ]
One thing I do is to leave the printer on all the time.



[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, I had the same experience with my Epson 2100 (2200). It was switched on for most of the 3 years that I owned it, and it very rarely clogged. Clogs seemed to coincide with cartridges being 'just about to run out' or having just been changed (maybe air locks????).

So I'd recommend leaving it on.

Regards

Alan

[AndrewCassino]

An update to my original post.

Although I was able to clear the print head clogs using the cleaning fluid mentioned, I was not able to maintain a clog-free status for very long. I won't detail my journey of becoming intimately familiar with the internal workings of the Epson 2200, but I will summarize what I learned, which is:

Persistent nozzle clogging is a SYMPTOM of something ELSE being wrong with the printer!

That "something else" is often a clogged purge tube (the tube that runs from the head cleaning station to the vacuum pump), or perhaps a broken/clogged vacuum pump. You can determine if this is the problem by moving the print heads away from the cleaning station. If there is enough ink there that it is pooling up, you have a vacuum problem. The print heads are basically swimming in excess ink and that is what keeps clogging them up. When it gets worse you will get brown stains on the leading edge of your prints, and nozzle checks will give muddy colors and smears in addition to the usual gaps. When it gets REALLY bad, you get ink splatters on your prints!

Lack of vacuum also means cleaning cycles are not doing anything good, for it is the vacuum applied at the cleaning station, in conjunction with the ink being pumped through the print heads, that actually cleans the print heads! Without any vacuum, print head cleaning is doing more damage than good!

The question is how to fix this. In my case, I jostled the purge tube immediately under the cleaning station by lifting the cleaning station up ever so slightly (a few mm). I was trying to get a small screwdriver in far enough to tap the purge tube, but I actually didn't get that far because I could see as I moved the cleaning station up that all of the sudden the pooled ink disappeared! You must be very careful if you try this because the cleaning station is very fragile and if you damage it, it's game over.

Once the ink started flowing through the purge tube, everything immediately started working as it should and it has been flawless since then, over two dozen prints with no problem.

I will comment that the common wisdom to leave the printer on is actually NOT VERY WELL FOUNDED! Every time you turn the printer on a brief vacuum cycle is applied to the print heads and this helps keep things in condition. I suspect those that have this belief use their printers a lot - and that is the BEST prescription for avoiding problems!

Andrew

[Ron_Donson]

Thanks for the update, Andrew. I wonder how much humidity plays a factor in clogging. I don't print a lot and I've only turned my printer off a couple of times over the last few years. Knock on wood, but I haven't experienced any clogging. When I do I'm going to remember this thread for sure. Thanks again.